The Samsung UN55ES8000 Maintains Its Interest

The Samsung UN55ES8000 Maintains Its Black Quality

We really did believe that Samsung would dig themselves out of the big black hole they created during the 6000 series. Unfortunately, the poor black levels experienced in the previous model returned with a vengeance for the 8000, with its version of light black definitely hindering any chance of giving full marks to an otherwise excellent 55” LED/LCD HDTV. In fact, just looking at the Samsung UN55ES8000 will blow your mind away, with its slim design, a very advances Smart TV platform, a touch-pad remote, voice and motion command, 4 pairs of 3D glasses and an IR blaster. The usual superb video processing, top of the range 3D technology and brilliant accuracy with colours makes the ES8000 stand out in the midst of fierce competition. The Samsung UN55ES8000 best buy would be in the region of $1,700 and could reach up to $2,400 in some retail stores.


Touch Pad or Launch Pad?

We have to be honest with you. One of the best features of the Samsung UN55ES8000 is also one of their worst. Don’t you just hate it when buttons are replaced by high-tech sensors which do not respond, until you throw it in the air and threaten it with impunity? Visually it is very rewarding to the eyes but the fingers might have a different opinion altogether! Samsung do provide a normal remote for the backward range of consumers and, although not great, it provided a slight relief to twitching and sliding and smashing on the floor! However, be on the lookout for Samsung’s wireless keyboard, which comes optional. It might seem a bit much to use this instead of a control but it does the job nicely.


Jam-packed With Features – But Will You Use Them?

In terms of innovations and new technology the Samsung UN55ES8000 really does join the ranks of undefeatable but you would need to think hard about what, exactly, you would actually use any time before you turn old and die! Let’s start from the appearance. Rather than the matte finish we were so used to with the 6000 model, the 8000 features a glossy screen finish. It also is wifi enabled, comes equipped with its not so handy dejudder option, to ensure smooth processing, has its trademark edge-lit LED backlight and has a refresh rate of 240Hz. Then there’s the Smart Interaction suite, complete with gesture, facial and voice recognition by means of a built-in mike and camera and the range of available options with regards to its controls.

 

Smart TV Capability to Brag About

Compared to the very bare 6000 series the Samsung UN55ES8000 comes equipped with almost anything you could dream of in a TV set. One of the strongest selling points is the Smart TV functionality, which is so chock-a-block with content that they almost seem to pop out from everywhere. The App store for the Samsung UN55ES8000 is the biggest available anywhere, except at Google. Expect to welcome shortly Samsung’s AllShare Play app, which enables you to extract any files from the cloud. Your Video is also a neat app, which connects you to Netflix and Vudu, amongst others. There are 3 HDMI ports available on the Samsung UN55ES8000, which is 1 better than the 6000 models.


Strong Points Brought to the Fore

When testing colours during Samsung UN55ES8000 calibration settings, we found no fault in any of the colours and all passed the test with flying colours (forgive the pun!). Its video processing qualities have carried on from past generations of models gone by and its overall colour accuracy is impeccable. It’s just sad how Samsung haven’t yet figured out what to do about the light shades of colour it dares to call black!